|
Join us Wednesday,
Oct. 15, for a timely update on the delicate free trade negotiations
between the United States and Australia, which are expected to be
concluded later this year. The program, sponsored by the Australia
America Association chapter in Washington, DC, comes on the eve of
President Bush’s visit to Australia on Oct. 22. Among the contentious
aspects of the proposed Free Trade Agreement are agriculture, services
and intellectual property. Guest speakers include two veterans of the
international trade arena:
R.D. Folsom, executive director of the American Australian Free Trade
Agreement Coalition, and Fred Benson, director of the United States-New
Zealand Council in Washington, DC.
Folsom, who heads the
200-company Free Trade private sector coalition, has also worked on
trade and tariff issues on behalf of China, Honduras, El Salvador,
Guatemala, Costa Rica and Nicaragua. He also held posts in the White
House and on Capital Hill. Folsom is a director with Wexler & Walker
Public Policy Associates in Washington.
Prior to joining the US-NZ
Council, Benson spent 18 years as vice president for federal and
international affairs for Weyerhaeuser, an international forestry
company. A former White House fellow, he also had a distinguished
military career in the U.S. Army, including commands in Korea, Vietnam
and Alaska, with numerous awards for aviation and leadership.
The program will be held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the
Washington Center of the Johns Hopkins University, 1625 Massachusetts
Ave.NW, Washington, DC (adjacent to the Australian Embassy). It can be
reached via the DuPont Metro stop. Parking is also available at Columbia
Parking, 1625 Massachusetts Ave NW, and Central Parking, 1124
Connecticut Ave. NW (entrance on N St. between 17th and 18th
Streets.) Reservations requested but not required. Students are most
welcome! For additional information, contact Kathy Burns at 703-824-1799 or
email:
burnskathy@earthlink.net Please join us for a most
interesting and informative evening! |
